Roman and Han Empires Notes

The Roman Empire unified 70 million diverse people for 500 years.
Augustus established administration and defense foundations, leading to Pax Romana.
Romans excelled in construction and law, spreading their culture and law.
The empire later adopted Christianity, allowing its survival and spread.

Rome expanded in three stages: Italian Peninsula, Carthage, and Macedonian Kingdoms.
Expansion led to road construction for trade and troop movement.
Conquered people were granted citizenship with rights and duties.
Roman law was created, forming the basis of international law.
Romans embraced Greek culture (Hellenization).
Julius Caesar's dictatorship led to civil war.

Caesar Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE) laid the foundations of the Roman Empire.
The Senate granted him powers for life, including commander of the army and chief priest.
Augustus reformed taxation, expanded the road network, and improved Rome's infrastructure.
He established a standing army of 300,000 soldiers, with citizen-soldiers (legions) and non-citizen auxiliaries.

The empire was divided into provinces governed by loyal officials.
Cities had self-government and adopted Roman law and culture.
Romans established over 1000 cities with quality infrastructure, including aqueducts and forums.
Cities were connected by durable roads and bridges.
Citizens were protected by Roman law, which included fair hearings and the presumption of innocence.
The economy depended on trade, facilitated by standardized currency.
Slavery was widespread.
Paterfamilias was the head of the household.
Stoicism was influential among educated citizens.
Roman religion included worship of deities, emperors, and mystery cults.

Decline was caused by population decrease, changes in the military, political instability, economic dislocation, and invasions by Germanic peoples.

The Mauryan Dynasty unified the Indian subcontinent for over 130 years (322-187 BCE).
Chandragupta Maurya founded the empire, and Ashoka expanded it, using dharma to unify the realm.
Shi Huangdi established the Qin Dynasty in China, laying foundations for the Han Empire.
The Han Dynasty rivaled Rome in size and longevity, using Confucian ethics, a large military, infrastructure projects, and a controlled economy.

Chandragupta Maurya united northern India and founded the Mauryan Dynasty.
He divided the empire into provinces, standardized weights and measures, and controlled various sectors of the economy.
Chandragupta used surveillance and a large army to maintain order.
Ashoka Maurya expanded the empire, adopted Buddhism, and used dharma.
Ashoka issued edicts carved on stone pillars and rocks, promoting benevolence.
He spread Buddhism through missionaries.

China gets its name from the Qin Dynasty, which unified a vast area into an empire.
Shi Huangdi unified China, standardized script and weights, and built the Great Wall.
The Han Empire included 60 million people across China, Korea, Vietnam, and Central Asia.
The ruling ideology was Imperial Confucianism.
The empire was administered by educated civil servants.
The Han Dynasty developed a tributary system to regulate contact with foreigners.
Mahayana Buddhism arrived in China.

The empire began to decline due to weak rulers, corruption, rebellions, invasions, and division.

Characteristics of Empires

• Cover a large geographic area

• Large population (10s of millions) and ethnically diverse

• Government centralized with hereditary dynasty

• Efficient bureaucracy to administer laws, collect taxes

• Uniform currencies and weights and measures

• Large military to defend against internal/external threats

• Elaborate public works (roads, irrigation, aqueducts, walls)

• Extravagant monuments to symbolize royal power

• Common belief system

• Support for art, literature, architecture, education, science